Episode 409: After-Recap

We are BACK! Based on Tweets we get [twitter.com/TheWalkingDead] you’d think The Walking Dead had been off the air for about 3 years. But we love the love! Let’s get right into it!

After the almost complete destruction of the prison in episode 408, our group is scattered. The episode starts with Michonne, returning to the prison. In order to walk safely around, she created two new pets. She quickly comes across zombie Hershel head and it is gnarly! She stabs his brain and puts him out of his misery, gently placing her hand on his hand to pull her sword out. She leaves the prison and we hit the credits.

We come back to Carl and Rick. Carl is motoring but Rick is in BAD shape from his fight with the Governor. Eye almost swollen shut, gash in his forehead, gunshot, rasping for air. They come across an abandoned restaurant. When Rick tells Carl to stay outside Carl insists on entering with him. They come across a walker that’s been left behind. Rick picks up a hatchet but doesn’t hit hard enough to kill it. Carl shoots it in the head, ignoring Rick’s order not to. There’s a lot of teen angst and rebelling against authority happening.

They continue on into a neighborhood and find a house. It’s clear, and it’s clean. Carl looks amazed when he comes across a teenagers bedroom. TV. Xbox. Games. Worthless. He scavenges the cables from behind the TV. Rick and Carl fortify the front door against walkers and bunk down. Rick goes into the bathroom and we see how hurt he is when he takes off his shirt.

Michonne, who’s been tracking Rick and Carl, is dreaming. Her memories are colliding as she dreams about her boyfriend and his brother in her apartment, arguing about the apocalypse while Michonne holds their son. The dialogue implies that there was an argument about whether they should stay in place or keep moving and you get the impression that whatever decision they made, it was the wrong one. The dream ends with Michonne seeing her boyfriend and his brother as armless pet walkers and Michonne wakes up screaming in an abandoned car.

Carl wakes up and finds Rick out cold. He makes breakfast, reads and checks on Rick, who is somehow still asleep. Carl tries to wake him up, but he won’t come to. He starts yelling at Rick, attracting the attention of some walkers outside, who start pounding on the door. Carl heads outside and leads them away from the house so he won’t draw more to the house. As he walks backwards, a third walker unexpectedly appears behind him. He trips, but manages to kill the walkers as they collapse on top of him. He wriggles out, pukes, looks at the bodies, and says, “I win.”

Alone in a relatively walker-free town, Carl heads back to the house. He tells his unconscious father what happened and then starts in on him, blaming him for everyone they lost at the prison. Carl tells Rick he’d be fine if he died and then heads off for supplies. Inside the first house he comes too, Carl runs into a walker. After a prolonged struggle, Carl loses a shoe but manages to escape, locking the walker in a bedroom. He takes a piece of chalk and writes on the door: WALKER INSIDE. GOT MY SHOE, DIDN’T GET ME. Again Carl’s been tested and again he’s survived. He takes a giant (GIANT) tin of pudding and sits on the roof and enjoys it.

While he does this, Michonne ambles along with a herd of walkers, kind of mindlessly moving with them. She grows increasingly disgusted and distraught (maybe it’s the constant moaning, maybe it’s the woman that reminds her a bit of herself). She can’t take it anymore after a while and starts dispatching walkers. A LOT of them. An entire herd, ending with her two new pets, and breaking down in tears.

Carl wakes up in the night, Rick is now rasping and gurgling and starting to move very slowly. Carl pushes away from the couch, pulls his gun, and as Rick reaches for him, he decides he can’t kill him, even if he’s a walker. Of course, after realizing this, Rick speaks. He’s not a walker after all. Carl’s bravado breaks down and he admits that he’s scared as Rick passes out again.

Michonne tracks Rick and Carl to the gas station, where she finds the walker they killed. Something about the note that was left behind causes her to break down again. She talks to her boyfriend. She says that they could’ve all made it.

Rick is awake back at the house. Carl fills him in on what happened. Rick apologizes for not being there. Carl says he doesn’t have to.

Out on the street, Michonne comes across a giant (GIANT) empty tin of pudding, which leads her to the house Rick and Carl are at. She sees them through the window and relaxes and cries again (lots of crying for Michonne this week). She knocks. Rick looks through the peephole and starts laughing. “It’s for you” he says to Carl. Credits.

It’s great to be back!
What did you guys like, what did you dislike?
Did anyone else get a craving for chocolate pudding?

The BEST/COOLEST/FUNNIEST comment below will win a shirt! This is not determined by upvotes! Lizzy and I will be picking the one we like best!

CLICK HERE to see a comparison of the comic to this episode! Pretty cool to see how faithful it was!

CLICK HERE for our discussion with TWD creator, show executive producer, and writer of this episode, Robert Kirkman!

I wonder if this is setting everything back to square one as far as following the comic goes? I think one of those little girls is going to end up like the twins in the comic (and we know what Carl had to do).

Loved how we saw Carl’s comic book character BAD ASS SIDE! He doesnt get enough credit for what he does! Didnt like that we didnt get to see the other characters, too much focus on just Carl. Rick slept too long. Great ep overall 😀 I wanna cry and eat pudding now

Michonne has been my favorite character ever since she first appeared in the comic. Having her be a big focus on this episode and showing how she can clean house, makes me happier than 112 ounces of chocolate pudding.

Defiantly craving me some chocolate pudding now! Carl could have saved some for the whole class! But im glad we got to see a look in to the life of michonne before and during the outbreak. Now i see why she broke down holding Judith. Im a huge fan of the comics and im glad they pulled that rick-coma stright from the book. Amazing episode! #walkergotmyshoe

I love thinking how Carl has changed during all these seasons, he has matured so early and his worries and way of thinking really amazes me… And still, he’s capable of being a teenager! My mind went wild when he wouldn’t shut up as if Rick didn’t know everything he’s done, it hit me so hard. Same as when I was expecting Hershel’s death back in december, for I’ve seen Tyreese’s death in the comics, I thought I was ready for Rick’s little rest, but to actually see it will never fail to contribute to the process of my sinking.
And then there’s Michonne’s breakdown, and she’s got into the main reason of her and Rick’s bonding in the comics! Shall we be happy they got to it, or sad?

Also, HERSHEL’S HEAD! We can never be ready for the new episode, really. Next one’s gonna be another killer, but hopefully… ABRAHAM!

That scene was a homage to the comic. Same thing happened in the comic, except it was Tyreese’s head, who Michonne had a romantic relationship with. As a matter of fact 90% of this episode was basically scene for scene from comic issues 49-51.

Michonne is soo tough, I Love her the most. Carl is just mad because of everyone being gone so he is mad at everything, everyone and especially his dad. but him and his dad will be ok once they find and meet up with more friends the better his relationship with his dad will become.

Carl definitely needed a Snickers, this was he first episode I was really urging walkers to eat someone’s face. Rick started to sound like the 2nd llama in the “Llamas in hats” cartoon, “Caaaaarl!! People die when you do that!”
Love Michonne, I’d guessed her backstory was about what they showed, no real revelations there. I wondered if she’d see who was in the house and then just leave quietly and they’d never know she was there! Now Rick and Carl have a chance.
I wonder where all the herd of walkers was going, since they’re all headed to the same direction/place? Also, why were her pets so docile as soon as she cuts the arms/jaws off and puts them on a leash? Shouldn’t they still be trying to mindlessly eat her?

Love this show and it has so many surprises, like tonight when Michelle was walking with a herd of zombies and they werent bothering her, that was cool, and the biggest yet littlest Walking Dead fan would be my 4 year old son who absolutely loves the show, would love to get him a free t-shirt, ;0)

I think Rick’s new voice and face is the scariest thing the show has ever done. It even made Michonne cry when she saw his face and heard his voice. Also I thought one of those pile o’ walkers looked familiar…

I thought it was great since he’s faking an American accent and he did sound authentically beaten to shit and swollen. On a side note, there is a core group of walkers, so you’ve probably seen that walker more than once by now.

I hate to type this cause I love the show and the comic, but to be honest that episode was terrible. I don’t even know where to begin. I will type that I still am excited about where the show is headed, but that was terrible. Anyone else think so?

I don’t understand how you can say you are a fan of the show and the comic, and then say it was a terrible episode. Kind of slow, yes, but far from terrible. This was almost identical to the comics, so I was excited to see it transformed into an episode. Slow episodes have their place, and in my opinion this was a great one that served the purpose to really build a couple characters and help them grow.

woa woa woa, how on EARTH was that a bad episode???? Of coarse, I am a thirteen year old, so i have to say most of my admiration for this episode was for carl, probably the most gorgeous person on earth….but carl’s acting was great. I have to admit that the michonne dream thingy was weird. and i honestly didnt get carls “cool.” after he killed the walkers. but i would say this was a fanttasticarl episode.

Carl was awesome!! He grew up a lot this episode he got a lot of feelings out that he needed to!! Michonne was kicking major zombie booty all episode long!!! I loved everything about this episode and loved the pudding I ate after it was over!!!

Ahh good episode loved michonne go turtle time hacking blades on all the undeads!! Love Carl to death but that lil basterd had my blood boiling talking shit on his old man like that ricks a badass mofo and deserves a hell of a lot more respect especially from his som . Was just waiting for him to get up outa no where and put em back in his place just mhi don’t need to get to many haters . Thanks again for another badass episode can’t wait till next week

Michonne sees an empty giant can of chocolate pudding …gets her katan ready…first thing thay came to my mind…”someone’s gonna lose their head for not saving Michonne some xD seriously though watch it again and look at her reaction when she seesa yhe can….she does seem a bit mad!

Do us fans a favor and stop watching. This episode was very good. It had character development, flashback backstory, Rick/Carl father-son dynamic, tons of non gimmicky zombie slaying, two main character death scares, partial group reunites. Sorry there was not enough Daryl slaying dozens of zombies raining from the ceiling for you.

During these season/mid season breaks, it ALWAYS feels like The Walking Dead has been off the air for about three years!

I loved Carl in this episode…thought he was fantastic! This ep made him! It just brought him much closer to the forefront for me and I look forward to seeing more of him! I like that they’re sectioning off individual stories into single eps…it certainly gives a lot more to look forward to! This would be an awesome ep if it weren’t for the following:

What didn’t set well was that Michonne’s new pets became docile IMMEDIATELY. Milton had come to the conclusion that Michonne’s original pets lost interest GRADUALLY. So this stood out to me. Also, I was really looking forward to some insight into Michonne’s past, but–and I’m probably the only one–I was sorely disappointed by her dream! I didn’t know what the hell the dialogue was about until Talking Dead. I felt I was looking at a Bad Lip Reading/spoof! I hope the next one makes up for it!

I liked this episode. The characters seemed to revert,in a way to past mindsets and by episode end they were back where they needed to be in order to survive.. Carl,as usual, exploring his surroundings on his own and nearly attacked by walkers, Rick is unwilling to see Carl as someone who can hold is own and not as his little boy, and Michonne putting her “emotional armor” back on and going it alone. By episode end, these mindsets were all dealt with and the characters realized what was key to surviving the madness the world had become.

The thing with Hershel’s head was hard to watch although it’s something that bothered me. From the beginning I thought about his head coming back as a walker. I’m glad that Michonne took care of it. On another subject Danai Gurira was amazing on The Talking Dead. What an impressive woman. I was mesmerized listening to her. Tonights episode was amazing. This is a show with substance. I love it more all the time. The bit on TTD with Hershel’s head was almost more disturbing than the scene on the show. I wonder how Scott Wilson feels when he sees it. Amazing special effects though. Kudos to Greg Nicotero.

I love the back story for Michonne. Carl, you need a spanking!
Carl is finally going through a very normal stage: teenage rebellion! His post apocalyptic childhood has been anything but a normal. He had to shoot his mother and when faced with killing his father he would rather die himself than be alone.
Michonne realizes she also needs to be with other people, she can’t do it all on her own like before.
So much growth by both of them! Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you STRONGER!!

I completely disagree!! I think the episode was GREAT!! Showing that Carl has grown but still needs his father. Michonnes dream was needed too!! She’s such an important character it was goof to see into her past!!! The best part was the ending. I’m soooo happy Michonne found them!!!

Love that Michonne’s story is coming out and dealing with her issues instead of walking away from everything and everyone, and love that Carl needed to realize that is won’t be easy without his dad. Then episode may not have shown much of everyone else but I love character development just as much especially the mysterious Michonne.

Fantastic episode as always. And as always, the show, yet again brings a tear to my eye. Usually that happens when a beloved character dies, but this time, it was the last scene when Michonne peeked through the screen door and saw Rick and Carl. It was a great happy ending for once. Of course, that’ll be short lived, but since these characters are so beloved and we’re so invested in them, even those small happy moments mean a lot. To us viewers as well as the characters. Very well done Walking Dead. You continue to be the BEST show I’ve ever had the privilege to watch in my 42 years on this undead world.

Yo Carl, you just said, “I don’t need you anymore dad.” But, then you walked out and ran into a door then tried to pick it with a solar powered lamp. First, try the door knob. Second, solar powered lamps make better lamps than door picks and for that matter, fit nicely into the skulls of zombies. Maaaaaybe you still need your dad.

I need help. Or a life. My stomach dropped when I thought Rick was a zombie and when I realized he was still alive, it took me awhile to chill after that. The thought of not seeing Rick every Sunday night had my head spinning (no pun intended). It reminds me of when I was little and when I’d watch the Flintstones, I wished I could jump inside the tv and hang with them. I honestly prayed that I could see Fred Flintstone bowl in person.

honestly, you know I’ve been preparing for it…and i mean, really, the past four years, the poster is ONLY rick. now, its mostly carl. so i was preparing for carl to step up and become the new rick. but then ricks favorite word to say now came outta his mouth, and it honestly made me mad. i want to see carl in the spotlight. nevertheless, i was happy as well to see rick alive.

Carl can be in the spotlight without Rick being offed. Remember, Rick was the one that was having hallucinations, not Carl; and he has corrected Rick on some things and has proven some things to Rick (like he can handle a gun). We could be following Rick as the leader but this could actually be Carl’s story…kinda like someone posted somewhere on here about Terminator’s John Connor (cool reference).

haha well you already know i already have been impressed by his looks…er….acting…so this episode was just an add on to how amazing he is. i thought it was a great episode, but i thought michonnes dream/flasback/bad lipreading segment was rather odd. i could hae done with a different introduction to her past.

wow i predicted this episode would be similar to the comics and end with michonne finding ricky and coral, but i still enjoyed every minute of it! Loved when carl mentioned shane to pwn rick ahahah. how about dania gurira!?!? shes so awesome 😀

It seems like everybody thinks that Carl was a jerk when he was telling the ‘i saved you’ speech, but if you listen to his monologue a bit more carefully, it’s understandable. Being a teenager myself, I can see why he’d be angry. Honestly, I thought that he did that scene really well. That scene and the scene with Rick as a walker (or so we think) when he wa s crying was done the best.

I really enjoyed this episode due to the fact that it was almost exactly like the comic book. I really enjoyed that. It also had a lot of moments that moved me (ie: the ending of the episode). It wasn’t the most action packed episode but for me I still thought it was really well written and well done.

Can anyone doubt Michonne’s ninja abilities now? She must have trained in Japan with the blind monks of World War Z. How about a side arc back story of her ante-apocalypse where she is training in some monastery?

I want to know if baby judith is ok and still alive on the bus.michonnefound them rick and carl stilll alive. went she knock on the door. rick out of eye piece .rick say for you. that let see went they open the door.

Wow…. Just noticed in this episode when Carl is eating the pudding, it is playing the same score music as when Rick was telling Carl “No more kid stuff. Im ganna die, mom is ganna die, youll never be ready for it” etc in the episode Better Angels. At that point in time when he is eating the pudding, he is finally becoming a man in this world and is thinking that he is ready for anything, soon coming to realize that he needs his father still. Just thought that added an amazing dimension to this episode